The Important Bird Areas of Florida - National Audubon Society

The Important Bird Areas of Florida: 2000–2002 – Pranty – 2-Jul-02 54(6.4 km) of “Okaloosa Island” (which seems to be the easternmost portion of Santa Rosa Island), and3 miles (4.8 km) at the Eglin Air Force Base Test Site (part of the St. Joseph Bay IBA, pages 57–59).The Nature Conservancy has rated Santa Rosa and Okaloosa islands as the highest quality barrierislands in western Florida and Alabama because of the absence of human disturbance and exoticplants, and the presence of rare floral and faunal species. • Eglin supports the following listed species:73 plants, 10 fishes, 10 terrestrial reptiles and amphibians, 5 marine reptiles (sea turtles), 14 birds, 3terrestrial mammals, and 6 marine mammals (5 whales). • Cultural resources also are present.THREATS: *habitat succession, *feral hogs, exotic plantsCONSERVATION ISSUES: Management issues at Eglin balance military use, recreational use, forest use,and ecosystem protection. Forest management practices are moving toward uneven-aged stands oflongleaf pine. Most timbering is for removal of sand pines and pine plantations. Prescribed fire wasapplied to over 202,000 acres (80,800 ha) between 1993 and 1997. • Sandhills restoration activitiesinvolve mechanically removing sand pines and hardwoods, replanting longleaf pine (8 millionseedlings since 1993), and annually burning over 40,000 acres (16,000 ha), mostly during thegrowing season. • Exotic plants include several species, with ♦Chinese tallowtree (Sapiumsebiferum) and ♦cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) posing the most severe threats. Control measuresare underway. • Collisions between birds and aircraft (bird air strike hazard; BASH) are the focus ofthe Bird Hazard Working Group. BASH events at Eglin are considered “sporadic” and have requiredlethal control for only short periods. Most of the collisions involve Cattle Egrets and Ring-billedGulls. [what about feral hogs?]NOMINATED BY: Bruce Hagedorn (U.S. Air Force)REFERENCES: +Eglin Air Force Base. 2001. Integrated natural resources transitional plan. NaturalResources Management. Eglin Air Force Base, FL. • +Gore, J.A., and C.A. Chase, III. 1989. SnowyPlover breeding distribution. Final performance report, Florida Game and Fresh Water FishCommission. Tallahassee, FL.WEBSITE: Eglin Air Force Base Test Site at Cape San Blas, a non-contiguous part of Eglin Air Force Base, isincluded in the St. Joseph Bay IBA, on pages 57–59.